The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has insisted that its overseas-development agency has no involvement with groups that promote abortion. Archbishop James Weisgerber, the president of the CCCB, said that an investigation uncovered "no evidence" that the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace had provided support for groups that promote legal abortion in Latin American countries.

Ironically, the CCCB statement was issued just as Vatican Radio aired a report on complaints from the Peruvian bishops, who said that the Canadian agency had indeed given support to groups agitating for unrestricted abortion in that country. The LifeSite News service has provided evidence that the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace also gave support to pro-abortion groups in Mexico and other countries. A series of exposés by LifeSite News has been sufficient to convince several Canadian bishops to suspend diocesan funding for the agency.

Nevertheless Archbishop Weisgerber said that there was no basis for the complaints. "We support this organization," he said. In an obvious slap at LifeSite News, the archbishop invoked the authority of the hierarchy as the basis for his sweeping statement. "What is at issue is authority in the Catholic Church," he said. "Is it web sites or is it the Catholic Church?’

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